Butte-Silver Bow Urban Forestry

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Butte-Silver Bow Urban Forestry

The BSB Urban Forester manages all public trees within the county, and is responsible for any trees located on or adjacent to BSB property.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
― Nelson Henderson The BSB Arborist is helping to keep our urban forest healthy, green, and happy!

06/02/2026

It's that time of year again! Please join us 10:00 AM-11:30 PM this Friday, June 5th, at East Middle School for our 2026 Arbor Day Celebration! At this event, four trees will be planted on the 46th Parallel near the Bus Stop.

In addition to planting, Butte Urban Forest Board Chairman, Bruce Schlaebitz, will welcome all attendees, a brief history of Arbor Day will be shared, Butte’s Tree City USA recognition will be acknowledged, and Butte Silver Bow’s Chief Executive JP Gallagher will be delivering an Arbor Day Proclamation!

There will also be free seedling trees donated by the MT DNRC and refreshments available on site.

We look forward to seeing you all!

05/22/2026

A couple pictures from the second annual “Stormwater Festival” at Father Sheehan Park on Wednesday. Over 400 4th-6th graders learned about the entire stormwater ecosystem through hands on methods. I led the Tree ID station and these kids couldn’t have been more enthusiastic. I am very thankful to have been a part of it and to Ripple (The Center for Education & Ecosystem Studies) for the invite. I hope the kids got as much out of it as I did, more details can be found here https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/butte-students-learn-about-delicate-nature-of-stormwater-ecosystem

05/15/2026

Did a tree consultation the other day and it reminded me I should share the basics on pollarding willow trees. They’re one of the best species for pollarding in our area and handle it really well.
First off, dont do any big pruning cuts on willows in the spring. They bleed heavily this time of year. Especially in dry years like we’re having, it’s important to wait until they’re fully dormant. The best window is October through February.
When you’re ready to pollard, pick a height you can easily reach from the ground with a pole saw (6 to 15 feet is usually good). Make clean angled cuts (45 to 60 degrees) on the main trunks at that height so water doesnt sit on top. You dont have to make every trunk the exact same height, some people like a more natural uneven look. Just make sure you or whoever maintains them can reach them comfortably.
Once the trunks are cut back bare, wait for spring. You’ll get a big strong flush of new growth that fills out into that nice full canopy over time. Willows take this hard pruning better than most species.
Over the years they’ll form a tough knuckle at the cut sites (you can see it in the photos). That’s why every 3 to 5 years (every 2 to 3 in places like Missoula) when you cut back all the new shoots, make sure you cut them clean, no stubs. A knuckle will form over time which helps seal the open wounds from disease and rot. Leaving stubs messes with knuckle formation and can lead to problems (as seen in marked up photos.
Let me know if you have questions. I’m happy to help if anyone’s thinking about pollarding their willows this year. The ideal way to prune if the goal is to reduce height vs the “topping” method.
Happy Friday! 🌳

05/08/2026

The BSB Urban Forest Board and I hosted the Butte Montana Forest School on Wednesday out at the Basin Creek Edible Forest. The school provides hands on leaning opportunities for kids being homeschooled. It was one of the most well attended events we have hosted together and hope they enjoyed it as much as we did. Was amazing to see kids of all ages having a good time out there, all the way down to kids just learning to walk. The younger ages loved digging in the dirt (finding worms like in picture) and the older kids were asking a ton of great questions. Bruce & Linda from the BSB UFB lead a tour of Basin Creek Park which has many diverse, mature trees. There is a multi year project happening at the park and reservoir so Basin Creek Park is closed until further notice. If a group would like to set up a similar group event at the edible forest, please reach out for availability. I’m sorry for any inconvenience and will make a post if anything changes. More information on the park’s closure can be found on the Butte-Silver Bow website.

05/04/2026

The before and after photos are from a post I saw online. It’s a great example of a mature tree getting the root flare above grade and installing mulch. The last picture is the toba hawthorn on the west side of the Uptown Fire Station. I included it in order to show one of the many options available if some type of border is preferred. It can help control the grass from taking over again. I know it’s a lot of work, but one of the best things you can do to promote long term health. One of those “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” scenarios. Reach out with any questions, always happy to help.

04/22/2026

🌍 Happy Earth Day!
This Earth Day we celebrate the power of trees and how they benefit our community now and for generations to come. Two of my favorite species will be given away this year at our Arbor Day tree planting event in early June and were provided to us from Montana DNRC at no cost. Each year they do this for MT communities and this year we are getting two of my favorite species that grow well in Butte, bur oak & honeylocust.
Bur Oak is one of the best large shade trees and seem to do well anywhere. These majestic trees are drought tolerant once established (have deep tap root) and the longest living deciduous tree we are able to grow in SW MT, some living specimens are more than 1000 years old! They can reach heights of 100ft or more and equally as wide, so take that into consideration before planting.
Honeylocust is another great choice, and several cultivars are available at local nurseries. A great street tree, or well suited for almost any urban planting site. They let some filtered sunlight through their small leaves, and provide stunning fall color.
These free saplings will be available on a first come first served basis at our Arbor Day tree planting event in June.
Today is a good day to remember the many benefits trees provide and planting trees today helps to build a stronger Butte tomorrow. They clean the air, prevent erosion, increase property values, improve soil & water conditions,and their beauty lifts the spirit.
What is your favorite tree and why? Will anyone be planting a tree this year? Share in the comments!
💚🌳

04/20/2026

These double-flowering plums (also known as the rose tree of China, (Prunus triloba ‘Multiplex’))are the first flowers I’ve seen this spring. They even survived the minor snowfall and sub-freezing temperatures!
This is one of my favorite flowering options for our area and is well suited to our harsh conditions. Similar to a lilac or chokecherry, they can be pruned into a single-stemmed tree or left to grow as a shrub.
If flowering plants are your thing, this is a great addition to your garden for early-season blooms. With good planning, it’s possible to have something in bloom throughout our entire (short) growing season.
In that type of garden, I would pair these with Japanese tree lilac, common lilac, Ohio buckeye, a diverse selection of edible fruit trees (note: double-flowering plum is non-fruiting, aka “ornamental”), linden, potentilla, spirea, ninebark, weigela, butterfly bush, hosta, summersweet, and hydrangea (protected area only). The bees would certainly love you for it!

04/13/2026

🌡️False Spring in Butte 2026: Hold Off on Heavy Pruning and Fertilizing 🌡️
Warm days this year pushed many trees out of dormancy weeks early. New buds and soft growth from the last 12 months are very vulnerable to our freezing nights, especially when combined with rain or snow.
Heavy pruning can stimulate new growth when the tree is no longer dormant, leaving them susceptible and to frost damage. Fertilizing does the same thing by pushing soft growth that is not ready for our big temperature swings, timing is everything.
After some experimentation and countless public tree consultations, I have found that the best window for fertilizing trees and shrubs is between May 15th and June 15th. Use an extended release product or fertilizer stakes made specifically for trees and shrubs and keep the N-P-K (Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium)values no higher than 15. This ensures the growth rate is consistent with the tree’s ability to protect that growth from frost and other stressors. We use pellets with an NPK of 11-11-11 but fertilizer stakes are a great option and more forgiving.
If you plan to fertilize your lawn this spring, take extra care around trees. Grass fertilizer is super high in nitrogen and usually not extended release. It can reach tree roots in the grass area and cause a sudden burst of weak growth, or even burn roots. Try to ensure the lawn fertilizer stays out of the Critical Root Zone (CRZ, seen in photo).
Similar to fertilizing, pruning can promote untimely new growth. Help your tree(s) keep every inch of growth this season by waiting until the freeze risk passes (late May, early June). Many trees will push out a second set of leaves if buds/leaves get damaged, so frost damage to leaves are less concerning.
Water is the other main growth driver, so only water your tree when the soil is completely dry and/or the tree is fully out of dormancy.
Have questions or a photo of your tree? Comment or message us. We are here for the Butte community. Share this with a neighbor seeing early leaf out.

04/06/2026

Spring Tree Care Butte 2026
What an unprecedented winter and early spring.. not good for trees and perhaps catastrophic for many…
Warm & dry winter, no snowpack (5-6” snow since November), and now warm days and freezing nights.
Trees are already budding, and that could be a huge issue.
What that means:
• Early growth
• Freezing nights still happening
• High risk of bud and branch dieback
• Soil already dry
Last year I had nearly 100% survival of trees planted previous season, before a late freeze killed nearly 20% of them (all were heavily mulched).
Biggest issues right now:
• Warm days followed by freezing nights
• Very dry soils from winter
• Butte’s decomposed granite soils not holding moisture well
• Watering can push growth that gets damaged
• Not watering can stress or kill trees
• Root zone competition especially problematic
Welcome to growing trees in Butte haha, trying to find the balance while all variables are challenging and most are ever changing. It CAN be done, just requires covering all bases.
How to best protect your trees right now:
-Mulch (by far the most important/beneficial care practice for Butte)
• 2–4 inches (4 is ideal)
• Keep mulch off the trunk
• Minimum 3 ft radius from trunk (to “dripline” is ideal)
• Remove grass in that entire zone before application (carefully), grass “steals” most water & nutrients
• Helps hold moisture immensely and regulate soil temperature by insulating root zone
-Watering
• Avoid watering if freezing temps are forecasted within 30min, water bag, or drip irrigation)
*Irrigation warning*
• If currently running, systems can run right before a freeze so adjust accordingly.
• In general, irrigation sprinklers are insufficient for trees (especially if grass in root zone), either > run times or ideally, drip irrigation system. **Supplemental hand watering still recommended until establishment (3 seasons,roughly)

2026 Balance Struggle..
Watering too much can push growth that gets damaged.
Not watering can stress or kill the tree.
Balance is key. Reach out if want a deeper dive or help.

09/29/2025

I would like to thank Chad Rankin (owner of Rankin Landscape Maintenance, Inc. in Missoula) for his very generous donation of 3 fruit trees and 3 honeyberry shrubs for the Basin Creek Edible Forest. He doesn’t even live in Butte, he just saw the Basin Creek Edible Forest on the news and wanted to contribute. How incredible is that?! They are all thriving and I expect them to benefit the community for a very long time.
The last few pictures are just the apples that are still left to be harvested before Basin Creek Park (and Basin Creek Edible Forest) closes for the year at the end of the day tomorrow (park open from Memorial Day through the end of September each year). Also, about a week or two ago, I was able to get the picture of the mother and her son (posted with permission, of course), perhaps my favorite of the year. They were able to harvest 4 different varieties of apples and some different berries that were ripe at the time. Please take your kids, they seem to have such a good time and they will help end the “nothing can be grown in Butte” nonsense. Thank you to everyone who has supported the effort out there!

Address

Butte, MT
59701

Telephone

+14064976576

Website

https://co.silverbow.mt.us/192/Parks-Recreation

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